Since we're on the net, and considering today's wired world, isn't a website something that's close to a necessity, if you're on your own? Let's say you do have a website, what would be the ideal contents? References, talents, experience, photo - And how is all this different from a normal resume? I mean, you have unlimited space on a website. What else can you add to it, to provide additional information about yourself to prospective employers? Do you discuss issues relevant to your industry? White papers? Current news? What?

As a contractor or consultant I'd say it was vital to have a website - if for no other reason than a simple way to point prospective clients to an up-to-date, online CV of sorts.

I'd go with experience & qualifications (if relevant to your trade), testimonials or client list, portfolio if appropriate. White papers are a great way to give prospects an insight into how you think / work and are an excellent lead generation tool.

Concentrating on your portfolio and the 'problem to solution' pathway you took for clients is important. A website is very important, but many won't achieve their potential if the consultant value-difference is indistinguishable from the rest. Thus to help this, ideally your web-based portfolio references should include:

Screenshots (or idea-provoking imagery)

Problem to solution process developments

Site or Project Descriptions

Competencies used

Original client brief

Timescales

Feedback from clients - more than quoted testimonials

Equally white-papers are good, but take a long time to write, refine and produce. There is a risk that if you focus on the Marketing too early, you neglect the first two of the three important web-phases good Design and Optimisation.

There's the obvious simple answer to consultant value-difference. However if you are trying to market yourself in a pure search engine marketing (SEM) environment, it gets trickier to describe, so I will try and illustrate my reply with an analogy. However first things first?

The simplest notion of value-difference is much the same as unique selling point idea that sales people use; focussing on, highlighting and amplifying the benefits of a product or service in front of a potential client, whatever the medium. It is certain that if you are not clear about your uniqueness and the benefits you bring as a consultant, your professional life will not reach the dizzy heights you want it to.

As for your web presence - assuming you are relying in most part on it to get clients - there are many issues that you need to rein in and make work together. Paradoxically enough, this modern complex environment could perhaps best be described through the analogy of trying to win chariot race, as seen in the epic film Ben Hur. In this film the central character has a team of horses, and his selection and control of the horses is not too dissimilar to the processes that a consultant (or even companies in general) need to understand, master and use to their advantage. So, indulge my fertile imagination for a moment and I will try and explain?

Your first inner guiding horse is of the Keyword breed. It is nourished by the language of clients in your target sector, to an extent dictates your business pathway, and proffers the principle navigation routes through your site. Before setting out to put any resources into a race with Keywords, you have to establish whether there is a firm pathway actually exists. In other words if no potential clients are looking towards this arena, there is no prize money to be gained. So be sure of your keyword arena first and you may better understand where client challenges and motivations lie.

Design: Your second horse is named Forsite, of well-designed breeding. Focussed, and working alongside the navigated paths, it keeps an eye on your destination; on winning the prizes of your client arenas. Its constant 24/7 presence possesses a purposeful and strong identity to get you to the prize money (conversion). It may even have your brand stamped across it - it is always adorned with the portfolio of prior races won.

The third horse is the thoroughbred, a result of repeated optimisation. It will fine-tune and enable the performance of your first-two horses. Your knowledge and control of it, will draw to you the searching eye of the online race commentators (Google, Yahoo, MSN etc.). Where an optimisation really succeeds as a crowd-drawer, it is because it harnesses the strengths of Forsite and your last, outer horse named:

Market-Thing! This must always be the last of your four horses to attached. However, don't ever be fooled into believing you can win a modern consultancy race with only Market-Thing (no matter how clever it is!). One-horse races have merits but limited ones; the finish line and the pot of client prize money won't be easily obtained if there is a lack of conviction that they are paying for something that is not of a character that has really been tested.

You certainly have to have the stamina, strength, conviction and persistence to get online and established to win the online consultancy contest. Oh yes, and above all, a sense of humour.

Wow. That's one heck of a reply, franglix. Thank you for the vivid explanation, and apologies for the delay in my response. I've been drowned in pending work. I'm working on building a web presence, and I will definitely post it here for reviews and improvement suggestiosn, when it's online. Thank you again.